It is one of the most eagerly anticipated video games of all time, because there has never been anything like it before.

As you fly ever deeper into the universe, new planets and solar systems roll silently into view – some will have been seen before, others discovered for the very first time. And you have 18 quintillion of them to choose from...

Inspired by Blade Runner, Murray promises No Man’s Sky will be even bigger than you can imagine. The programmer says this type of game has never been attempted before yet despite that and the small team working on it, a huge level of expectation awaits it’s release.

To try and describe everything No Man’s Sky has to offer in this short column would be to do it a disservice but I’ll do my best.

No Man's Sky will take us to infinity and beyond

Essentially NMS is built on four pillars exploration, survival, combat and trading which players are free to perform within the entirety of a procedurally generated deterministic open universe (still with me?).

And I wasn’t joking before, there are more than 18 quintillion planets... I can’t even get my head around how many millions that is.

Each has its own set of flora, fauna and inhabitants. By exploring, players gain information about the planets that they can submit to The Atlas, a universal database that can be shared with other players of the game and for which they are rewarded in currency each time. NMS really will take us - in the words of Buzz Lightyear - to infinity and beyond!

I wasn’t joking, there are more than 18 quintillion planets... I can’t even get my head around how many millions that is.Damien Lucas, games columnist

No Man's Sky will take us to infinity and beyondNo Man's Sky will take us to infinity and beyond